By Emily Tarinelli ’25 and Lauren Leese ’23
Sports Editor and Staff Writer
Basketball
Regular Season Record: 2-23
Captain’s Statement: “I am especially proud of how well our team is learning to handle ‘the hard.’ … [Basketball] has proven to be an incredibly resilient group of student-athletes. Our success shows most in our daily grit and growth; showing up every day motivated to challenge both our teammates and ourselves to get better. We have limitless potential — that is what personally keeps me going.” — Marley Berano ’25
Highlights: Basketball came back from an early deficit to defeat Dean College 51-43 on Nov. 19, 2022, in their first win since December 2021. Isabel Cordes ’24, Amrit Khinda ’25, Nicole Lutalo ’24 and Emily Mock ’24 were awarded Division III Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators on Feb. 21, 2023.
Cross Country
Regular Season Competitions: 4 meets and invitationals
Highlights: Mount Holyoke Cross Country’s cumulative team grade point average of 3.84 was the highest GPA out of all Division III teams in New England, earning them a spot on the 2022 NCAA Division III Cross Country U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Women’s All-Academic Team. In addition to numerous first-place performances, Lauren Selkin ’22 collected honors as a 2022 NCAA Division III Cross Country USTFCCCA Women’s All-Academic Athlete and NEWMAC Cross Country Runner of the Week and competed in the NCAA Cross Country Championship for the second year in a row.
Daisy Chain Ultimate Frisbee*
Highlights: Gigi Downey ’23, one of Daisy Chain’s captains, qualified for the United States national ultimate frisbee team and will represent the U.S. in the under-24 world ultimate frisbee championship in July 2023 in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Daisy Chain won the first-place title in its south New England section championship on April 22, 2023, winning all four games versus Williams College, Amherst College, Smith College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Dressage*
Captain’s Statement: “We have really come together as a team this year and I am so proud of everyone for creating such a fun and upbeat team atmosphere through all the highs and lows. Our riders have given it their all and we ended the season as the Intercollegiate Dressage Association 2023 Reserve National Champions!” — Ellen Switchenko ’23
Highlights: Dressage scored 116 points for the season to become region champions, sending a team and several individual riders to Intercollegiate Dressage Association Nationals. At Nationals, Dressage became IDA Reserve National Champions.
Fencing*
Captains’ Statements: “Our team community this year was truly incredible … I’m so proud of our first-time competitors for their dedication and newfound love for the sport and of our returners for stepping up and working so hard to create a wonderful team environment.” — Eli Gerbi ’25
“I’m proud of the progress everyone on the team has made this year! We have a lot of people who had never fenced before this year, but they put a lot of effort into learning a new sport and you can tell from how much they have improved.” — Maya Frey ’23
Highlights: At the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference Championship on Feb. 25, the sabre squad placed 10th while the foil and épée squads each placed 15th.
Field Hockey
Regular Season Record: 6-11
Coach’s Statement: “Our team has grown leaps and bounds in the last few months … We just completed our one day of competition at Smith. We saw some really great progress with both fitness, skill set and camaraderie. We ended our day on Saturday coming from behind and beating Smith and that will take us well into the summer months. I’m really proud of our team and the direction that we are going.” — Andy Whitcomb
Highlights: Field Hockey secured a three-win streak on Oct. 29, beating NEWMAC rival Wheaton College 2-1 in their last game of the season. Anna Induni ’26 was named NEWMAC Field Hockey Offensive Athlete of the Week for the last week of October, becoming the first Mount Holyoke Field Hockey NEWMAC Athlete of the Week since 2019.
Ice Hockey*
Coach’s Statement: “The 2022-23 season for ice hockey was an absolute joy to be involved in. The team is always upbeat, happy, looking and willing to learn. I am tremendously proud of the progress all the players have made along the year and as a team. Their skills and confidence have grown to new heights … I could name everyone on the team as they all contributed significantly on and off the ice. We look forward to another fun year in 2023-24!” — Tom Cardosi
Highlights: Bria Carlson ’23 led the team in its senior game versus Smith College on Feb. 11 by scoring both of Mount Holyoke’s two points.
Lacrosse
Regular Season Record: 3-12
Captains’ Statements: “This season has been all about growth and facing the adversity of being a small team with a majority of us being in our first or second year of college athletics. As a team, we … worked every day to grow as individual players and most importantly as team players. We are paving the way to be extremely successful in the future of this program!” — Maddie Millyan ’25
“My co-captains and I wanted to put a heavy emphasis on team bonding this season because we know that having good team chemistry is essential while in a rebuilding period … I’m really looking forward to using the team dynamic we created this season and translating it more onto the field next season.” — Hannah Bisson ’24
Highlights: Former Mount Holyoke student-athlete Anne O’Byrne ’13 became the new head coach of Lacrosse in Fall 2022. Lacrosse beat Rhode Island College 22-11 on March 22, 2023, with their highest number of points in a single game since 2008.
Riding
Regular Season Competitions: 11 shows and tournaments
Coach’s Statement: “The team has great energy … Due to equine-born illness, most of our spring semester shows were canceled — however, riders rallied together! We figured out how to run some shows following protocols to keep the horses safe. We won the Region out of nine schools and won the top High Point College in New England! We are now preparing for the IHSA National Horse Show to be held in Kentucky. Go Yoke!” — CJ Law
Highlights: Mount Holyoke Riding competed in the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Zone 1 Region 3 championship with 13 riders, winning the High Point College title with a total of 316 points. The team placed first at the IHSA Zone 1 Championships, earning a spot at National Championships in May. The team will travel to Kentucky for the competition, with Kerina Li ’24 and Emmie Mirarchi ’24 competing individually and additional team riders entered in eight classes.
Rowing
Regular Season Competitions: 9 regattas and scrimmages
Captain’s Statement: “This year I have seen our team grow, not only in our speed and performance but also in our commitment to each other as teammates. With or without a coach, on the water or off, we’ve been able to come together and prove to ourselves just how strong we are and how much further we can go each day. This is only the beginning of the next chapter for this young team, and I'm so proud of all my teammates who I know will keep getting closer, faster, and stronger together, even after I’ve graduated.” — Piper LaPointe ’23
Highlights: Former Mount Holyoke rower and assistant coach Cara Murphy ’14 took over the helm as head coach of the rowing program in February 2023. In a regatta at Lake Quinsigamond on April 15, Rowing’s first varsity eight boat placed second and advanced to the Grand Final, while the second varsity eight boat placed third and moved on to compete in the Petite Final.
Rugby*
7’s Season Record: 4-4
Coach’s Statement: Our team recruited a number of really promising new players who will be a great asset to the team during the competitive fall season. The standout of the season was the Prom Dress Rugby tournament where we played our best and took second place out of nine teams.” — Julie LeGrand
Captain’s Statement: “The rugby team had a great time playing this spring … We started our season off playing a 7’s tournament against a number of teams at UMass Dartmouth, played a number of friendly 15’s scrimmages against nearby teams … Overall we had a great season and our team was able to hone their skills both as a team and individually.” — Skye Gorman ’24
Highlights: Rugby placed second in Prom Dress Rugby, its spring 7’s tournament, against Babson College, Fairfield University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Tufts University, Wellesley College, Brandeis University and Lasell University on Saturday, April 22.
Soccer
Regular Season Record: 2-15-1
Highlights: Carolina Alvarez ’23 and Rachel Baleto ’26 were recognized with all-tournament honors at the Owls Kickoff Classic, hosted at Westfield State University on Sept. 4, 2022. Hannah Keochakian ’25 scored both winning goals in a 1-0 victory over Colby-Sawyer College on Sept. 7, 2022, and a 1-0 triumph over Smith College on Oct. 19, 2022.
Squash
Regular Season Record: 8-14
Coach’s Statement: “We did well to make it through the season given that seven out of nine team members missed significant time on court due to illness or injury or other challenges … The team showed a lot of grit and character during tournament time. There is good energy to work even harder next year to get to the next level … The team has a stronger sense of purpose and a collective understanding for what we need to do differently to be the [best] team we can be.” — Erin Robson
Highlights: Xaria Durocher ’24 won six out of seven matches in the No. 2 position, almost securing a 3-0 victory at the College Squash Association Team Championship and giving the No. 2 Haverford player a run for their money despite the 3-2 loss. Robson said that “it was the best I have seen [Durocher] play.” Three first-years, Habiba Abouelatta ’26, Tina Mei ’26 and Ku Paw ’26 represented Mount Holyoke at the College Squash Association Individual and Doubles National Championships in Philadelphia, Penn. on March 3, 2023.
Swimming and Diving
Regular Season Record: 5-6
Coach’s Statement: “We had a great season with almost every team member setting at least one personal best in competition. I am proud of the team for its perseverance this season. There were many challenges that team members faced throughout the season and the team was strong, united and kept going … As a coach, there is not much more you can hope for in a team’s performance.” — Dave Allen
Captain’s Statement: “I am incredibly proud of how far the team has come. This year, in comparison to others, I saw everyone come together and really gel as a team … My best memories from this season are honestly the times when we were all screaming at the top of our lungs at the end of someone’s lane and seeing the joy people get in watching others succeed.” — Lauren Brook ’24
Highlights: Adji Diouf ’24, Evelyn Bushway ’24, Carolina Loayza ’26 and Megan Schneider ’25 broke the team record in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:50.20 at the NEWMAC Championship, shaving off 0.05 seconds from the previous record set in 2015. Maddy Sewell ’24 was the runner-up in both 1-meter and 3-meter diving at NEWMACs, was a two-time NEWMAC Diver of the Week and qualified for the NCAA Regional Diving Championship in March 2023.
Tennis
Regular Season Record: 7-8
Captain’s Statement: “Team morale improved as the season went on. We had a tough season … The team’s performance, I believe, strongly correlates to [their] leadership. I am hoping we come back much stronger next year.” — Annika Chai ’25
Highlights: Shweta Kiran Cavale ’23 and Cal Smith ’26 advanced to the quarterfinal round of the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament while Annika Chai ’25 and Jaskirat Kaur ’26 competed in the consolation final the weekend of Oct. 7, 2023. After a decisive 9-0 victory over Emerson College on April 22, Tennis advanced to the first round of the NEWMAC championship in a match against the third-seeded Wellesley College on April 25.
Track and Field
Regular Season Competitions: 14 meets and invitationals
Highlights: During the New England Division III Indoor Championships, Devan Ravino ’23, Tessa Lancaster ’25, Kim Beaver ’25, Greta Trapp ’25, Olivia Johnson ’25 and Elle Rimando ’26 all boasted performances that landed them on the Track and Field’s all-time top 10 performance ranking. At a tri-meet featuring NEWMAC and Seven Sisters rivals Smith College and Wellesley College on April 22, Track and Field earned first-place titles in the discus and shot put, won by Emma Doyle ’23, and in the high jump, won by Aria Mallare ’25.
Volleyball
Regular Season Record: 13-12
Captain’s Statement: “I am incredibly proud of all that my team accomplished this year … Having the first winning season in 30 years was our goal from the beginning, and it was so satisfying to take other programs by surprise with our skill. I will never forget our win against Connecticut College and our five-set thriller against Colby College; the energy and the power on the court was incredible to experience. I will definitely miss leading my team, but I look forward to watching how they continue to grow.” — McKenna Crosby ’23
Highlights: After making a comeback from a two-point disadvantage, Volleyball triumphed over NEWMAC and Seven Sisters rival Wellesley College for the first time since 1994 with a 3-2 win on Oct. 1, 2022. Volleyball wrapped up its competitive schedule with its first winning season since 1992. They are the only Mount Holyoke team to have secured a winning season this year.
Western Riding*
Captain’s Statement: “The Western Riding team had an incredible season, dominating our region and putting on the best performance in our team's history at IHSA semi-finals. Out of the saddle, the team has grown incredibly close throughout the year and has worked hard to meet our goals. Looking forward to an amazing season next year!” — Julia Pollard ’24
Highlights: Western Riding became 2023 Zone 1 Region 3 champions at the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Western Riding Regional Championships on March 4. The team finished fifth at the ISHA semi-finals on March 18 and 19. Team members Lili Evans ’26 and Sam Rockwell ’23 will represent Mount Holyoke at IHSA Western Riding Nationals in Kentucky on May 4-7.
*Denotes club sport.
Editor’s note: Emily Tarinelli ’25 and Lauren Leese ’23 are members of the swimming and diving team.